Today is a raw day for a lot of people around the world, especially in France. It's always a sad and distressing time when we see innocent people get hurt by a small minority of extremists. I know that this may seem like arm chair counseling from someone who lives across an ocean, but I still think it's important that we have some grounding when we talk about horrendous acts like the one that happened in Nice, France.
Tonight I had the distinct displeasure of reading the live thread on Reddit for the Nice tragedy. There were people actually suggesting horrible things like genocide and rounding up religious groups as an appropriate response. The more astonishing thing was that no one seemed to bat an eye or object in the comments. It's scary times indeed when we see people offer up atrocities as solutions. It's times like these that we need to not get carried away. So here are some basic things to keep in mind:
1. Extremists in a minority aren't representative of an entire culture.
2. Branding people and coercing them due to their beliefs isn't just wrong, it's the root of all evil.
3. Violence is never the best solution.
4. Your rights to be safe stop at the point where you make it impossible for someone else to live theirs safely.
5. Don't let hate just happen. It is up to you to do something, not someone else.
6. While some opinions are hateful, they should be heard so we can all have a dialog and come to an understanding.
7. Never give in to the hate, live your life to the fullest.
for a large majority of you, these aren't new to you. But in these trying times, it's good to center yourself. It may seem easy to support extreme solutions in extreme times. but rarely do extreme solutions fix anything. It may be hard to go about your life when you don't feel safe, just know you're not alone. To show you i;m not some halfwit, let me share a story.
In 2001 I was 8 years old. I was in the first or second grade, I can't remember. But As many people do, I remember where I was when the attack happened. I was doing jumping jacks in gym class when the principle came over the loud speaker and announced that there was a tragedy happening in New York. We didn't stop doing gym class though. Our PE teachers went on with the day and told us that everything is fine and that we would be going home early today. From what I remember, I was whisked off to home room, was told to pack up my things and I was marched out of the school onto buses that would drop us off at our homes. I remember distinctly that my mom and dad were both there at the bus stop to greet me. My mom always greeted me, but my dad was usually at work. I got off the bus and they hugged my sister and I very tightly and took us inside for lunch. My sister and I ate lunch and my mom and dad sat us down after and explained to us what had happened as they were watching the news. They told me what had happened and why. To an 8 year old in an upper class household, mortality isn't quite as real as it is to others. I didn't fully realize the magnitude until years later.
The part I remember most about 9/11 wasn't the attack itself but how the adults in my life reacted to it. In particular, my teacher. The next day we all came back to school at the same time, but instead we all said the pledge of allegiance as one school outside and then continued as usual. When we got back inside, my teacher had the schedule of the day up on the board and she started to go through it and then said she had to talk about something first. She had us all gather in a semi circle in a corner of the room and started into a discussion about what america stands for. We had just had our first exposure to civics and she used that really well to broach the topic. She told us that there are very bad men and women who want to hurt others because we live differently than them and that they hated us for being tolerant of other religions. She followed that up by giving a general overview of Islam and how terrorists use it to justify their behavior. She then asked us if it was ok to bully people from the middle east, of which there was a girl who immigrated from Afghanistan when she was a baby in our class. We all answered "No", and she reiterated that and told us what the word hate meant, and that it was never ok to hate anyone, no matter what they do to you. She then told us that if you ever see someone verbally or physically hurting anyone for being different, that it was up to us get an adult and put a stop to it. She told us that she would try her best to keep an eye out, but that she couldn't watch all of us all the time. She then told us that when we grow and get older, we need to learn to police ourselves, because when you grow up no one can lookout for those who get bullied most for all the time. She then said that while the world is a scary place, there are also many positive aspects, and that we can still shape it for the better. She ended the conversation by saying that people are all different, and that it's important that we value them all as equals, no matter if they disagree with you.
For my teacher, it would've been very easy to just ignore the issue. She was dealing with children who didn't understand mortality to the fullest, much less what hate truly meant. But it leaves an impression to this day that she took the time to explain to her class that bad things happen, people may die or get hurt, but people can also be capable of being kind, and that the world is a largely positive place that we can do a lot to help make better for not just ourselves but others as well.
I've heard versions of this that go much differently. Where adults tell kids that we should be afraid of people who are different. I see those kids in my classes, and those adults in my life who taught those kids to fear differences. I don't want anyone else to have to live in fear and hate like these people. I hope that this story helps you to keep living your lives to the fullest, even when that may seem like a hard thing to do. Some days are harder than most to not give in, but everyday you stay solid to no give in is a victory no one can take from you.
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